Week 14 NFL Picks 2013

by Scott Burgess on Tuesday, December 3rd, 2013

The NFC is even more hectic after Week13. Thanksgiving saw Dallas and Detroit pick up wins, but both have contenders in their respective divisions nipping at their heels. Both NFC contenders will be in action this week, as will a variety of other NFC playoff hopefuls. In the NFC East Dallas has a meeting in Chicago, while Philadelphia hosts Detroit. Both the Cowboys and Eagles are tied at 7-5 but Dallas has the upperhand going 4-0 in the division. New Orleans and Carolina are knotted up in the AFC South and are both 3-0 against division foe. They meet in the Big Easy in Week 14, then again two weeks later. In the NFC North its Detroit’s to lose, considering the Bears recent struggles losing three of their last four. Green Bay isn’t going to catch Detroit without Aaron Rodgers in control and Minnesota will just call it a season and move on to the draft. All teams are in action this week. Here are the list of games and times along with Week 14 NFL Odds.

Thursday, December 05@8:40 PM ET
Houston (-2.5) at Jacksonville (o/u-43) PICK: Jags +2.5
Thursday Night Football is sloppy, and this Jacksonville team believes it can win after consecutive victories—including a win over Houston in Week 12. Houston is out of gas.

Sunday, December 08@1:00 PM ET
Minnesota at Baltimore (-7.5) (o/u-43) PICK: Ravens -7.5
Adrian Peterson rushed for over 200 yards in Week 13, but asking him to do so on the road against a playoff-hungry Baltimore team that ranks in the top 10 against the rush is simply too much.

Kansas City at Washington (OFF) PICK: Chiefs
Kansas City has lost three straight, but playing Denver twice in that time span can do that to any team. The Chiefs will have no issue moving the ball on the road against a hapless Washington defense.

Buffalo at Tampa Bay (-2.5) (o/u-42.5) PICK: Bucs -2.5
Buffalo has one win in its last five games. The offense looks lost, which is not a good equation against Tampa Bay at home. Mike Glennon looks good at the helm.

Miami at Pittsburgh (-3) (o/u-41.5) PICK: Steelers-3
Pittsburgh has won three of four and now gets a team that has lost every other game since Week 8. Ben Roethlisberger slips by as his defense abuses the NFL’s most-sacked quarterback (Ryan Tannehill, 45).

Detroit at Philadelphia (-2.5) (o/u-54.5) PICK: Lions +2.5
Philadelphia has won two games at home this year in six appearances. That tally remains the same after a visit by the Lions.

Indianapolis at Cincinnati (-5) (o/u-44) PICK: Bengals -5
Both teams put away inferior opponents in the second half in Week 13. Still, these two are supreme underachievers against quality opposition. Edge goes to Cincinnati, a team that has yet to lose at home.

Cleveland at New England (OFF) PICK: Patriots
No team is stopping Josh Gordon, but they don’t have to in order to beat Cleveland. Just ask Jacksonville in Week 13 (32-28). New England enters riding consecutive close wins.

Oakland at N.Y. Jets (-2.5) (o/u-40.5) PICK: Raiders +2.5
Both teams enter with losing streaks and quarterback woes. New York has scored six total points in its past two games. Matching that total would be a blessing at this point. Despite the Raiders losing, they are putting points on the board.

Atlanta at Green Bay (OFF) Packers
2013 has passed these two by. Aaron Rodgers or not, the Packers have done little to inspire confidence in recent weeks. Bet on Rodgers getting shut down for the year. But, Matt Flynn should get a win against the horrible dirty birds.

Sunday, December 08@4:05 PM ET
Tennessee at Denver (-13) (o/u-50.5) PICK: Broncos -13
Tennessee has two wins since Week 5—over St. Louis and Oakland. A top pass defense may give Peyton Manning issues, but at Mile High, the Broncos take care of business. The Titans simply cannot score enough.

Sunday, December 08@4:25 PM ET
St. Louis at Arizona (-6) (o/u-41.5) PICK: Cardinals -6
These two met in Week 1, where St. Louis notched a victory at home, 27-24. Much has changed since then. Expect Arizona to return the favor against Kellen Clemens and Co. on the heels of a top-10 scoring defense.

Seattle at San Francisco (-2.5) PICK: Seahawks +2.5
Against four playoff bound teams, San Francisco’s offense mustered up a grand total of 39 points. Quarterback play is what separates the good 49ers from the great Seahawks. Russell Wilson entered the week with a passer rating 18.5 points higher than Colin Kaepernick’s. Seattle completes the season sweep on the heels of its defense, which allows 16.3 points per game. One team does it better.

N.Y. Giants at San Diego (OFF) PICK: Giants
No playoff implications here. A trip to the West Coast sees Eli Manning do just enough to win against a porous San Diego secondary that ranks in the bottom five.

Sunday, December 08@8:30 PM ET
Carolina at New Orleans (-4) PICK: Panthers +4
Defense travels and the Panthers have the best unit in the league. It’s surrendering just 13.7 points per game. A pounding by the Seahawks mixed with a mere four-point victory over the three-win Atlanta Falcons last week proved that the Saints are vulnerable.

Monday, December 09@8:40 PM ET
Dallas at Chicago (OFF) PICK: Cowboys
Dallas will ride their rushing attack to a victory in in Week 14 to take possession of the NFC East.